The first time I ever visited my favorite restaurant in San Diego, I wore a bathing suit (no coverup), and I was 6 months pregnant.
Everything about this restaurant is fascinating. The tables, curtains, clothes, and chairs are all made by the workers of this restaurant. The food grows in their garden, and I'm almost positive there are addictive ingredients added to each recipe on the menu. Everything is THAT good.
I've talked about The Yellow Deli many times on the blog, and even recreated my favorite Green Drink a while back. At one point my husband told the hostess he loved her over the phone, and well, then she gave us our dinner for free. Probably so he'd stop calling.
One of my favorite menu items there is their veggie burger. It's different than any veggie burger I've had, and I truly believe it's the way it's built. The toppings make an incredible difference, and I swear one of those toppings is crack.
Maybe not, but probably.
It's an onion roll with a garlic spread, warm and perfectly ripe avocado, sprouts, fresh tomatoes, sauteed onions, and crack.
Yup.
I did my best to recreate my favorite veggie burger, and I must say, It made me feel all warm and happy inside. It makes living 314 miles away from there not too bad. (I googled it.) The garlic spread is just a little bit of mayo mixed with some chopped garlic. You can always use veganaise or skip it completely if needed. You could also eat a pretzel and pretend it's chocolate cake...Your choice.
(My Favorite) Bean Burgers
Everyone loves a good burger! Who says a vegetarian burger can't be delicious! With the right ingredients and toppings, you won't be missing the meat one bit!
Ingredients
- 2-3 TB. olive/coconut oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 TB. chopped garlic
- 2 pieces of bread-I used honey chia bread
- 1/2 c. cooked barley (or brown rice)-if using rice, add another 1/4 c.
- 1 can drained and rinsed red kidney beans
- 2 TB. ground flax seeds mixed with 4 TB. water-placed in the fridge
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 TB. dried oregano
- dash of hot sauce
- sprinkle of salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add oil to a pan and add garlic and onion. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
- In a food processor add bread. Pulse until bread turns into crumbs.
- Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor: onion & garlic mixture, beans, barley, flax seed mixture, and spices.
- Pulse in the food processor until it's mashed up and a little chunky.
- Form into patties and place on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. You should get around 6-8 patties.
- Bake in the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes, flipping the patties half way through.
- Let burgers sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before serving.
- Top with desired toppings. (Tomato, avocado, sprouts, pickles, dijon, mayo, etc.
3.2.1255
If you are wondering if this burger is kid approved, the answer is yes. :) Just have your patties sitting on a baking sheet on the counter to resemble a fresh tray of cookies. After my one year old kept screaming "OOKIE OOKIE OOKIE", I gave in figuring she'd spit it out, but no! She ate the whole thing!
Sadly, she didn't mention the difference in the bean burger vs. a real cookie...
Which doesn't say much for my cookie making skills huh?